New Director for xXx3

Progress on xXx: The Return of Xander Cage continues apace, with a new director now hired for the action sequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Ericson Core will helm the movie, which will see Vin Diesel return as the extreme sports-loving government operative first seen in 2002's xXx.

Rob Cohen directed that movie and was initially set to take on the three-quel, but dropped out to direct Medieval for Regency instead.

Core is a cinematographer-turned-director who worked with Diesel as DP on The Fast and the Furious, as well as directing 2006 American football drama Invincible.

Terminator Salvation scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris are writing the script, which will revolve around Xander Cage's return to the National Security Agency after an eight-year absence. Diesel skipped the 2005 sequel xXx: State of the Union, where he was replaced by Ice Cube.